Restaurants profit off low-calorie meals

With more than one-third of Americans now considered obese, chain restaurants have joined the healthy eating bandwagon. And in doing so, they're apparently increasing their profits.

Research by the Hudson Institute has found that businesses are in better shape financially if they offer more low-calorie meals. The study looked at 21 national chains, including Chili's, Burger King and McDonald's, and found that restaurants that offered more low-calorie options saw better growth over the past several years. The study also found that low-calorie options were the driving factors in the growth of 17 chains between 2006 and 2011.

Restaurants that provided low-calorie options saw a 5.5 percent growth in sales and a 10.9 percent growth in customer traffic, as opposed to a 5.5 percent decline in sales and 14.7 percent decline in customers among those who did not offer low-calorie options.